Getting to Know Ron Wyden’s Spokesarmy

Now that he wields the gavel to the agenda-setting Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden has also inherited a much bigger microphone.

Luckily, the Oregon Democrat has assembled an eight-person answer squad — including four issues-specific spokespeople — to help carry his message into the world.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time there will be four designated spokespeople for the SFC Chairman,” tax and investigations specialist Lindsey Held told HOH of the dedicated response team. In addition to the other three policy point people, like herself, Wyden will be supported by a digital director (Rebecca Steele), press secretary/speechwriter (Ryan Carey), deputy press secretary (Samantha Offerdahl) and press assistant (Taylor Harvey), Held explained.

Per Held, many of the mouthpieces have already been working together for years, either under newly minted diplomat Max Baucus, D-Mont. (Held, Carey, Harvey), carrying over from Wyden’s Finance staff or switching over from his Energy and Natural Resources Committee crew.

“It’s a melding of the two families, ‘Brady Bunch’-style,” Held suggested.